Unlock the Secrets of Successful Private Investing: Management Insights from the Pioneers of Private Equity and Venture Capital

James: Sweet book if everyone wants to understand business , gets deep in detail that will get you
To the Winners circle of Success

United States on Feb 13, 2020

Amazon Kunde: Gibt einen guten Überblick über das Private Equity und Venture Capital Business! Kann ich nur jedem empfehlen, der sich für die Bereiche interessiert!

Germany on Jan 16, 2017

Cliente Amazon: Gostaria que o livro abordasse mais exemplos sobre as decisões tomadas nos investimentos feitos, nas crises enfrentadas. O livro tem uma abordagem de "conselhos"e não muitos exemplos das estratégias, ações ou planos adotados para determinados investimentos.

Brazil on May 04, 2016

Jimmy t.: Bought with the assumption that these masters would share a lot of financial wisdom my way and that I’d be wiser and better off at the end. Unfortunately I really just read memoirs. Don’t get me wrong it was a good read, but I’m disappointed at the lack of insight gained.

United States on Sep 19, 2015

Thiago Polatti: The book is great. Well written and easy to understand.
I recommend it to all who wish to study private equity.

Brazil on Sep 09, 2015

Customer: Too superficial for my liking. Most the profiles are high level biographies and interviews of the key players in the PE and VC world. I can't say that I was overly impressed with the distilled lessons from these profiles (spread the risk, act fast, etc.). It is definitely not an in-depth study of the key patterns/habits of the successful investors. It is not nearly of the same quality as a book like Market Wizards (J Schwager) which does a similar analysis but for traders. Hence, I can't say this book will help budding VC or PE investors.

United Kingdom on Aug 02, 2015

Josh Gatlin: The most insightful and well written book I have read on private investment. The Appendices alone are more useful than most other books of a similar nature. I found it to be a much more well written, relevant, and applicable than the similar attempt by "Founders at Work" - I find it a very underutilized resource for Investment Bankers such as myself that want a better understanding of what Investors are considering. It is very beneficial knowledge to have when presenting to financial buyers.

United States on Sep 04, 2014

Faisal Chishty: The book is a collection of perspectives that would be hard to come by in any one text, so to that extent it is definitely worth reading.
It assumes an understanding of the industry though and could possibly use an introductory section on how the industry generates value and is structured presently. But a good read nonetheless.

United Kingdom on Aug 20, 2013

Herve Lebret: I just read the chapters related to venture capital in the book The Masters of Private Equity and Venture Capital. These are the chapters 7 to 11 built from interviews of:
- Garth Saloner, Stanford Professor
- Bill Draper, founder of Draper Richards and of Sutter Hill
- Richard Kramlich, founder of NEA
- Steven Lazarus, founder of ARCH Venture Partners
- Pitch Johnson, founder of Asset Management Company

You may not know their names but Draper, Kramlich and Johnson are famous "grandfathers" of Silicon Valley venture capital. You may remember them if you read anything on the history of venture capital.

I have to admit my favorite chapter was about Pitch Johnson. (So if you are bored with my lengthy post at some point, jump to the Johnson chapter before quitting!) I had been in contact with him in the past when he sent me a great poster about the early history of the west coast VC. I had also quoted Johnson in my book; I quite liked what he had to say about entrepreneurship: "Entrepreneurs are the revolutionaries of our time." And he had added: "Democracy works best when there is this kind of turbulence in the society, when those not well-off have a...

United States on Sep 27, 2011

Ellen: I have been a partner in the Venture Capital business my entire career - over twenty years. I have kept a personal list of "lessons learned" from my investment experience; and, I have read many of the books in the category. By far, this is the very best book in all respects. It is extremely well written and easy to read; captures the essence of each "master's" message; and, also captures the essence of the investor's personality (at least those that I know). I think this book is so good it should become a text book in business schools with private equity / venture capital programs. A must read for anyone interested in the "craft" of making successful investments in private companies.

United States on Jan 27, 2010